This week we’re finally back with a jam-packed episode full of news and reviews! First on the agenda is Daniel Day-Lewis’ shock retirement announcement (which fails to convince) and Annette Bening ruling the roost in Venice, plus a record amount of invitations from AMPAS gets our seal of approval. There are reviews of Bong Joon-ho’s madcap fable “Okja” and Sofia Coppola’s period potboiler “The Beguiled,” while we venture into superhero territory with verdicts on Marvel’s latest spidey story “Spiderman: Homecoming” and DC’s critical and box-office hit “Wonder Woman”. Elsewhere, Gal Gadot’s pacing on the front line conjured up images of the catwalk for Cal, there’s a pitch for a Miranda July-led superhero movie, and Irini unforgivably mistakes Garrett Hedlund for a certain Amazonian explorer.

News from the Croisette lures Irini and Cal back to the microphone, as we discuss yesterday’s announcement of the 70th Cannes Film Festival lineup, featuring (among others) new films from Andrey Zvyagintsev, Lynne Ramsay, Todd Haynes, and podcast favourite Sofia Coppola. We’re also catching up with news we haven’t discussed since the last episode, chief of which is *that* infamous Oscar mix-up, plus we touch upon the surprise smash hit “Get Out” and dig into some seriously juicy female-led TV shows. Elsewhere, Irini shamelessly flaunts some national pride when we discuss one of the festival’s entries, we vehemently disagree on the virtues of the Safdie brothers, and Cal tests Irini’s patience by taking a pop at Xavier Dolan and all but killing off Michael Haneke.

We’re back this week with a packed episode, as we get around to tackling the record-breaking blockbuster “Jurassic World” and the latest collaboration between Bill Condon and Ian McKellen, “Mr. Holmes,” while some interesting news items get us chattering about Kristen Stewart’s sexuality and Ingrid Bergman’s past indiscretions. We pay tribute to the late James Horner by discussing some of our favourite work of his, Cal reviews Celine Sciamma’s latest coming-of-age tale “Girlhood,” and trepidation for the the heavily-delayed and part-disowned “Accidental Love” is tested when we review David O. Russell’s foray into the world of political satire. Meanwhile, Cal has caught up with a British Springtime hit and one of Harvey Weinstein’s Oscar hopes, Pete is distinctly unimpressed with Vincent D’Onofrio’s military mindset, and Laura Linney’s stab at a regional English accent goes down like a lead balloon.

This week begins with a lengthy opening, featuring discussion of Sofia Coppola’s travails with the studio system, a long overdue film on the Suffragette movement, and a retrospective of Al Pacino in the wake of the release of “Danny Collins.” There are also reviews of disaster action movie “San Andreas,” Iranian vampire flick “A Girl Walks Home Alone At Night,” and romantic comedy “Man Up,” which propelled us into a digression concerning the politics of internet dating. Elsewhere, Cal is forced into a Neil Diamond-style rendition, a certain Antipodean singer narrowly avoids a dreaded Ehle Omission, while Pete disses the vocal talents of a British redhead, much to Cal’s chagrin.

The week’s news: Some Birthday wishes, plus news on Sofia Coppola’s exit from “The Little Mermaid,” the opener of this year’s London Film Festival, and a chat about Al Pacino!

This week is especially sweet for Pete, as Rebecca Hall features in two very different releases: Wally Pfister’s ambitious Sci-fi project “Transcendence,” and Patrice Leconte’s reserved romantic drama “A Promise.” Despite general dread at the prospect of Jason Reitman’s “Labour Day,” Cal managed to catch it, but did he find something of worth besides an appreciation for Diane Lane’s taste in men? We both saw “The Amazing Spider-Man 2,” of which there are fairly lengthy preconceptions, and elsewhere we discuss some relationship news, an odd piece of casting, and the eclectic competition jury for this year’s Cannes Film Festival. Tune in to find out why Cal is on particularly grumpy form, how many times Pete had to recount the plot of “Transcendence” in order to perfect it, and our potentially epic plans for our upcoming 100th episode!

This week we’re living up to our Boozy British stereotype, as Pete’s return from Canada brings news of some troubling Toronto drinking laws and a serious put-down to an over-excitable hockey fan. We discuss the death of a glamour puss and the reveal of Sofia Coppola’s new project, plus one of us finally gets around to Ralph Fiennes’ “The Invisible Woman,” and we have reviews of acting showcase “Jimmy P” and kidnap story “7th Floor.” Find out whether Paul Dano can atone for his many acting sins by putting together a credible list of favourite films, how Brian DePalma’s steamy “Passion” compares to the original French thriller “Love Crime, and whether Kathryn Hahn can make the most of a rare leading role in offbeat comedy “Afternoon Delight.” Discover which liberal category placement instigated a spontaneous sing-off, why Cal’s failure to have seen an Ozu film isn’t particularly useful this week, and why Abba and Rihanna trump Robin Thicke.

The Week’s News:

The death of Kate O’Mara

Sofia Coppola to direct a live-action version of “The Little Mermaid”

Paul Dano announces his top ten of all time

[5:00 – 22:05]

Preconception Corner

Reviews of:

The Invisible Woman

Jimmy P

Afternoon Delight

7th Floor

Days of Darkness

[33:00 – 1:15:50]

Closing Segment: Our take on Brian DePalma’s “Passion,” and likening it to original French film “Love Crime”[1:15:55 – 1:26:10]

Welcome to week 57, in which recording the podcast was so troubling Cal thinks that he deserves an Oscar for editing it. This week Danny Boyle might be on the verge of a reprieve, as we encounter multiple films capable of rivalling “Trance” as our worst of the year, but will any of them budge it? We have reviews of magic caper “Now You See Me,” Ben Wheatley’s “A Field In England,” French drama “Therese Desqueyroux” and Bollywood period goodness in “Lootera.” We end the podcast by tackling Sofia Coppola’s “The Bling Ring,” which proves a long and heated discussion, and we answer questions from treasured listeners. Listen for this month’s Red Light District, and unplanned asides concerning Xavier Dolan, 1990’s Best Actress lineup, and whether the world will implode when Emma Watson faces off against herself in The Watson Factor. She’s stressing us ouuuuut!

Listener Questions:

What are your favourite films directed by sons/daughters of famous people? [Ibbi] [6:00 – 9:44]

What are your favourite films from Japan or Korea? [Irini] [9:45 – 13:25]

But for some football-related rants this week’s episode is surprisingly concise, as we turn our attention towards legacies. As Steven Soderbergh prepares to fold up his chair and retire (we’ll believe it when we see it) after his final film “Side Effects,” we reveal whether we think his pharmaceutical thriller is a worthy swansong, and offer our favourite examples of final films from directors. Sam Raimi is resurrecting L. Frank Baum’s series of Oz books with “Oz the Great and Powerful,” but can this kaleidoscopic 3D adventure even come close to replicating the magic of the original? And will Barbra Streisand’s Razzie-nominated return to acting in “The Guilt Trip” affect her long-standing reputation as a Queen among actresses? We have reviews of Jason Statham vehicle “Parker,” the acclaimed British thriller “Broken,” and Pete’s precious “Robot & Frank,” while we assess the power of Bette Midler’s Oscar-nominated performance in “The Rose” and look ahead to Sofia Coppola’s latest foray into the perils of youth, “The Bling Ring.” Sit back and listen to us bitch!